Game apparatus.



H. F. W. WARDEN GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLE NOV. I. 1915.

1,232, 1 33.. Patented July 3, 1917.

61 tto: neg

HORACE F. W. WARDEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed November 1, 1916. Serial No. 128,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE F. W. WAR- DnN, a subject of the King ofEngland, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to game apparatus.

One object is to provide a game apparatus characteristic of navalwarfare, and embodying among other characteristics, means wherebyelectric shocks are given without warning to opposing players at pointsin the progress of the game to indicate that the vessel or battleship inplay has been torpedoed or struck by a hidden mine.

Another object resides in the provision of a game apparatus embodying agame board 1n which neutral territory and land and sea are delineatedand in which the sea is mined at various predetermined places unknown tothe opposmg player so that an electric shock may be given to theopposing player without warning and which shock will be indicative ofthe sinking or destruc-- tion of his vessel or battleship.

A still further object resides in the provision of a game apparatusembodying a game board composed of sections which are delineated toindicate neutral territory, land and sea and in which various parts ofthe sea may be mined at places unknown to the opposing player, and inwhich the seas are delineated to provide for the capture of a battle orother ship and in which the player first getting all of his battleshipsacross the waters into the home of the opposing player prevails or isdeclared the winner and whose points of advantage in the game aredetermined by the number of moves necessary for the losing player to gethis remaining ships on the board into the port or home of his adversaryafter the late ter has successfully worked all of his player.

pieces ofi of the board.

With the above and other objects in view the present invention consistsof the novel features of construction, formation, combination andarrangement of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described,claimed, and illustrated in'the accompanying'drawings, it beingunderstood that various minor changes in the specific detalls ofconstruction can be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims,i'WllIhOTllli departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention, showing one of thehinged sections of the board elevated for secretly mining such section.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the coil connected to the bus-bar and to thehand electrodes.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of one of the hingedsections of the board.

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary view through one of the hinged sections,illustrating one of the player pieces in section disposed over one ofthe contact posts of the board.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the referencecharacter 10 indicates a box of non-conducting material open at itssides and in which is confined an induction or common medical coil 11and a battery 12 whose terminals may be connected to the coil 11 in anysuitable manner. As shown, one wire 13 connects the battery 12 with aterminal 14 on the base board 15 on which the coil 11 is mounted whilethe opposite terminal 16 on the board 15 is connected by a wire 17 withthe battery 12, there being any suitable character of switch 18 to makeand break the circuit a between the battery 12 and the coil 11. Theterminals 14 and 16 on the board 15 may be electrically connected to thecoil 11 in the usual or any well known manner.

Electrodes 19 and 20 adapted to be held in or fastened to the left handof each of the players have electrical connections 21 and 22,respectively, with one of the terminals of the coil 11. The otherterminals of the coil have connection with a bus-bar 23 by means ofsuitable electrical connections 24. This bus-bar 23 has a plurality ofwires, say for instance, fifteen wires 25 and 26 leading from oppositesides thereof and each of which wires carries a spring clip 27 for apurpose presently explained.

Boards 28 and 29 of paste board, paper' box 10 and at the outer cornersand projecting from the under sides thereof are suitable supporting legs30. t

The upper side or top of the box 10 is provided with a plurality ofsquares 31 and the upper faces of the boards 28 and 29 are provided withsimilar squares 32 and 33, re-' spectively, and these squares 32 and 33of the boards 28 and 29, respectively, are provided with apertures 34 inwhich are tightly fitted contact posts 35 provided with heads 36. Theclips 27 of the wires 25 and 26 may be detachably and interchangeablyconnected to the posts 35 as will be later explained.

The upper faces of the boards 28 and 29 are colored or otherwise made torepresent islands or countries 37 surrounded by water and the metallicwar-vessels or battle-ships 38 are to be moved by the hands of theplayers through the water between the islands or countries, each playerendeavoring to move his vessels or ships from their home station,indicated at 39 and 4.0 on the respective boards 28 and 29 to the homestation of his opponent and which may be accomplished unless his shipsare torpedoed by his opponent. Both boards 28 and 29 have their upperfaces pictured alike, with said pictures preferably, although notnecessarily, reproduced on the under sides of the boards. Generally theseas will be shown in blue color and the lands indicated in green orbrown color.

The upper face of the box 10 represents neutral territory, which ispreferably of blue color, and in order to facilitate secretinterchangeable connection of the wires 25 and 26 with the contact posts35, the players sitting at opposite sides of the game apparatus mayelevate the boards 28 and 29 in front of them on their hinges as shownparticularly in Fig. 1. The spring clips 27 of the wires 25 and 26 maythen be quickly changed from various posts 35 to others before each gamewithout an opponent seeing where the connections are made. No two wiresshould be attached to the posts of two adjacent squares. The boards 28and 29 are then lowered after attaching the wires in the manner statedand play may begin.

Each player now places all of his vessel or shlp pieces 38 in thesemi-circle or home station 39-40 each player having a predeterminedequal number of vessels or sh1ps, say for instance, twelve. A dice boXand two dice (not shown) are used by the players and each player throwsthe dice and moves the ships alternately. These movable pieces may bemoved forward or sidewise, but not backward or diagonally and may notmove at one time through more than four-squares 3l3233. The pieces arenot dropped on the board but are placed firmly on the squares over theheads 36 of the contact posts 35 so that the recesses 38 in the pieces38 may fit directly over the heads 36 of the posts 35. Suppose, forinstance, a player throws the dice and is enabled to count six andthree. The total is nine. The player can then. move nine separate piecesthrough one square, or a fewer number of pieces through a greater numberof squares, providing no piece moves more than four squares and that notwo pieces are placed on adjacent squares.

Contact with the enemy is not made until a central or neutral part as arule is reached. All the preliminary moves are for the purpose ofmaneuvering for position.

When contact with the enemy is made attempts can be made to captureindividual units of pieces. This is accomplished by one player trying toget two pieces adjacent to one of his opponents pieces, but neitherplayer is entitled at any time to have two or more of his own piecesadjacent to each other and neither player is entitled to have two ormore of his pieces adjacent a second or more enemy units. There must betwo pieces to one to expect a capture. A captured piece is replaced inthe home station 39 to start again. No two wires should be connected toadjacent contact sections.

Directly upon the piece passing over into the enemys half of the board,which has 5 been previously mined, attention can be directed to theswitch key and the current turned on just at the moment that the pieceis placed on the square so as to save current. If preferred, the switchkey can be manipulated alternately by the player who is not actually inturn to play, or two keys may be provided, one for each player.

If a piece happens to be moved on to a square which has been mined, anelectric shock is felt, the strength of which can be varied at will byadjusting the strength of the coil 11. Upon receiving a shockthe playermust remove his piece 38.

The object is to try to get as many pieces through into the oppositehome station in the quickest time. For each piece reaching home, fivepoints are allowed. When one I player has all of his player pieces inhis 0pponent must deduct two points from each play required to get hisown remaining of the other half of the board. As shown,

the surface of the board may be marked out with variously shaped rocks,islands. or other lands and these are preferably arranged to provide forintense thought in the matter of tactful maneuvering of the playerpieces to avoid being captured or torpedoed. The board may be of anysuitable size and marked off as desired under the scope of the appendedclaims and any number of player pieces or contacts may be used at thewill of the players.

What I claim is 1. In an apparatus of the character described, thecombination of aboard having delineated thereon seas and lands with thesea areas marked oil in sections, each section having an aperture, aheaded contact post fitted in each aperture, an electric operatingdevice having electrical connection with a predetermined number of saidcontact posts, a hand electrode electrically connected to the operatingdevice, and game pieces, each having a recess to fit over the heads ofsaid contact posts.

2. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of aboard having delineated thereon seas and lands with the sea areas markedoflf in sections, the board having a plurality of apertures extendingthrough the sea area sections, a contact post fitted in each aperture,an electric operating device having connection with a predeterminednumber of said contact posts, a hand electrode electrically connected tothe operating device, and game pieces adapted to be movedover the boardand placed on said sections over the respective contact posts.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aboard embody- 1ng an intermediate section and end sections hingedlyconnected thereto, the board having delineated thereon a neutral sectionand seas and lands with the sea areas and the neutral section marked oilin sections, the, hinged sections of the board having apertures formedtherethrough, one Within each marked ofl section of said hingedsections, a contact post fitted in each aperture, an elec tric operatingdevice having electrical connection with a predetermined number of saidcontact posts, a hand electrode electrically connected to the operatingdevice, and game pieces adapted to be moved over the board and to reston predetermined sections of the hinged sections over the respectivecontact posts.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aboard having delineated thereon a neutral section and seas andlandswiththe sea areas marked off in sections, the board having a plurality ofapertures on opposite sides of said neutral section and leading throughthe board centrally of said latter marked ofi sections, a

- bus-bar, a plurality of wires leading from the bus-bar and constructedfor interchangeable connection with a predetermined number of saidcontact posts, means for sup.- plying current to saidbus-bar, a handelectrode having operative connection with said electric current fluidsupplying means, and a game piece adapted to be moved over the board andto rest on the predetermined contact posts.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aboard having delineated thereon seas and lands with the sea areas markedofi' in sections, a plurality of posts secured to the board withrelation to said sea area sections, an operating device havingconnection with a predetermined number of said posts, a device adaptedto be held by the players hand and having operative connection with saidoperating device, and game pieces adapted to be moved over the board andover and on said posts to effect an indication on the players hand whena game piece contacts with a post operatively connected to the operatingdevice and to the device carried by the operators hand.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aboard having delineated thereon seas and lands, an electric operatingdevice having connection with the board at predetermined interchangeablepoints throughout the sea areas, a metallic device adapted to be held tothe players hand and having electrical connection with said electric.operating device, and a metallic game piece representative of abattleship adapted to be moved by the players other hand over the boardinto and out of electric contact with said operating device connectionswith a view to giving an electric shock to the player when said gamepiece contacts with one or more of said electric connections with theboard.

7. In an apparatus of the character dedelineated thereon a neutralsection and seas and lands with the neutral section and the sea areasmarked ofl in sections, each section of the sea areas having anaperture, a headed contact post fitted in each aperture, an electricoperating device having interchangeable electrical connection with apredetermined number of said contact posts, hand electrodes electricallyconnected to said operating device to be held by one hand of eachplayer, and game pieces, each having a recess to fit over the heads ofsaid contact posts and adapted to be moved one at a time by a playerover the marked ofl sections in theneutral section and the sea areas.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of aboard having delineated thereon a neutral section and seas and landswith the neutral section and the sea areas marked off in sections, eachsectionon opposite sides ofthe neutral sectionhaving an aperture, acontact post fitted in each with a predetermined number of said contactposts, hand electrodes electrically connected to said operating deviceto be held by one hand of each player, and metallic game'pieces, eachrepresentative of a battleship adapted. to be moved by the players otherhand over the board into and out of ture.

HORACE F. W. WARDEN.

